I once wrote for SeaWorld and after watching the Blackfish movie, I’ve been devastated to have ever been a part of such horror. I sent a letter to the Orca Project. If you agree, please share it with others. We need to save these magnificent beings from their torture. Now.
San Diego, California – Years ago when I was a copywriter for an advertising agency in Los Angeles, one of my favorite accounts was writing for SeaWorld. I could barely contain my joy writing the ads, radio and TV spots that touted the “touching experience” of SeaWorld. Oh the delight I felt when I first met Shamu and was able to experience a world of magnificent marine mammals supposedly there for the edification of humans to see the sea wonders up close. A devout animal-lover, I thought (as did most of the creative team) I was participating in the preservation of Orcas seemingly delighting in this magical environment of hands-on trainers soaring through the choreographed acts with them. Oh how very wrong I was. And oh how deeply ashamed I am today for being a part of this vile travesty. I never knew or saw SeaWorld in the truest sense. I bought the lie…
Today, I can no longer remain silent in my fury and anguish after just viewing the extraordinary documentary, Blackfish, which reveals the profound cruelty of Orcas, primarily those at SeaWorld. This is a film that must be seen by the world because it uncovers that which most of us never knew nor wanted to believe, that these “happy” whales flipping and breaching on command are indeed, miserable, highly stressed, sickly, going insane, deeply grieving, separated from their natural habitats, their familiar pods—babies and mothers screaming for each other, all isolated in cruel and abusive ways that are unfathomable. We can no longer sit by nor support this immoral madness and applaud in delight. It would be no different than cheering on the destruction of life itself.
I can’t contain the massive sorrow that I feel right now knowing that those brilliant mammals, with complex brains, languages and family structures equal to and even superior to humans, are living out their brief lives so horrendously. All because of greed under the umbrella of “family entertainment”—making fat the coffers of the SeaWorld corporation and destroying these gentle beings before our very eyes. When left alone we are learning, Orcas never kill or attack humans; they live long lives in close-knit family bonds—vocalizing in unique ways of communicating in distinct languages that we’re only now beginning to understand. This is true for dolphins as well.
There is absolutely no reason for marine mammals—especially Orcas and dolphins—to be kept in captivity such as the circus-like watery prisons of SeaWorld. In a recent article by Naomi A. Rose, Ph.D., marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute, Dr. Rose explained that she’s part of a team working with Merlin Entertainments Group creating the very first sanctuary for captive bottlenose dolphins. For over 20 years now she has been advocating this very same solution for the welfare of captive whales and dolphins as well.
If SeaWorld and other marine theme parks were to work with enlightened marine scientists and animal behaviorists, like Dr. Rose to transform their worlds into safe and beautiful marine sanctuaries this would definitely be a win-win for all. People would show up to view the Orcas from a distance—either through video cams, full-screens projected around the park, animated, and 3D presentations narrated by humans talking about the animals but not in any way interfering nor interacting with them in intrusive ways.
And the Orcas wouldn’t be separated from their original pods, their sanctuaries would be spacious and as close to their natural habitats as possible; and all would only cared for by veterinarians and hands-off care-givers—leaving these beautiful mammals to live their lives peacefully until the blessed day when they are completely free to be in their worlds separate from ours.
Today, many wildlife preserves (like San Diego’s Wild Animal Park) are wisely putting humans in trams to view the animals in their “natural” habitats from a safe distance. Unfortunately, the world is encroaching on almost every species putting most of them on the endangered lists because of poaching, deforestation, wars, starvation, global warming, etc. Zoos are evolving into educational, conservation-consciously safe harbors for the last of so many breeds. These top wild life sanctuaries and zoos are leaving the animals to be animals—in cage-free environments—without having to perform like puppets for the “entertainment” of crowds.
It takes courage and humility to admit that what one is doing is wrong and hurtful and the most compassionate and wise path is one that takes the higher ground; in SeaWorld’s case—the safer waters. It’s not too late to re-do, start-over, do what is best. They would be far more popular than ever if they did. The world is watching. But if they are sticking to their stance that SeaWorld is educationally sound then what they’re teaching is that cruelty and greed are all that matter. There are former trainers who have admitted that Blackfish has only scratched the service of the horror behind-the-scenes at SeaWorld. I can’t even go there in my mind.
I do believe that there are good and compassionate people at SeaWorld who genuinely love those animals with all their hearts and would die for them to protect them in any way possible. The tragic death of SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau in 2010 should have been the deciding moment when everything came to a halt and all of those animal welfare/animal rights advocates were acknowledged for what they were saying: NO ORCAS SHOULD BE IN CAPTIVITY. This dedicated trainer who loved those animals with a passion had no idea what she was in for swimming in waters with a whale who was so emotionally and physically mistreated.
Right now, I have removed SeaWorld from the list of clients on my resume. That doesn’t negate the fact that I once believed in the fantasy that they wanted us all to believe. To say I’m ashamed to have ever been associated with them is an understatement. I will forever carry the guilt I feel now in knowing I chose to look the other way for the sake of advertising. There aren’t enough “I’m sorry…forgive me” words to assuage my pain. But now that I know the reality I’m praying this corporation and others worldwide will realize that once they relinquish their devastating control and treat these magnificent mammals the way we all wish to be treated, then love not fear is what results. Every. Single. Time.
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
– Socrates
~ Cara
September 19, 2013
Mr. Jim Atchison
Chief Executive Officer
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.
9205 South Park Center Loop
Suite 400
Orlando, Florida 32819-8651
Dear Mr. Atchison:
As a child, I was lucky to have parents who took me on trips to SeaWorld parks in Florida and California. I enjoyed your parks and have pleasant memories of those summer vacations with my parents and siblings.
Since the tragic death of your animal trainer, Dawn Brancheau in 2010, I have taken a closer look at your company and its history.
I have read the book, “Death At SeaWorld: Shamu and The Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity” by David Kirby. I have seen the film, Blackfish: Never Capture What You Can’t Control, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
I recognize the rescue/aid work that SeaWorld has done with manatees and sea turtles; however the management of the orcas in your care seems to have been self-serving to the point of causing harm and exploitation.
For example:
August 8, 1970. Whidbey Island, Washington. An expedition working on behalf of SeaWorld and other aquariums captured 80 orcas in a net. (Most were released after suffering the trauma of capture.) Seven were chosen to be shipped to parks. Five whales, including four baby whales, drowned during the violent captures. Their bodies were weighed down by chains and anchors so that they would sink to the bottom of the ocean away from public view.
‘If the public didn’t see it, it didn’t happen,’seems to have been the attitude of the day.
March, 1976. Near Olympia, Washington. The same expedition, this time working exclusively for SeaWorld, used acetylene torches to light explosives and tossed them into the ocean to frighten a pod of orcas into their net at Budd Inlet.
One can imagine that on the same day that your contractors were literally throwing bombs at wild orcas in Washington, your company was touting education and conservation and “creating incredible awareness for orcas” in front of moms and dads and boys and girls at SeaWorld.
The hypocrisy is staggering.
Your captures in Washington are the main reason that the Southern Resident orcas are endangered today.
February 20, 1991. The orca known as Tilikum (along with two other captive orcas) killed trainer Keltie Byrne at SeaLand of the Pacific in Canada. Your company brought Tilikum to Orlando, Florida where he went on to kill two more people—and where SeaWorld actively used him in its breeding program.
In the Blackfish film, former SeaWorld trainer Samantha Berg commented that no reputable breeding program would take an animal that has killed humans and breed it over and over like SeaWorld has done with Tilikum.
In addition to the human injuries and deaths at SeaWorld, your parks are not safe places for killer whales.
SeaWorld occasionally places unrelated and incompatible animals in the same enclosure, creating an unnatural social structure that gives rise to incidents of aggression and attacks.
Whereas displays of dominance between orcas in the wild are unlikely to escalate to dangerous levels, the subordinate orca at SeaWorld has no way of escape from its attacker.
An example of this occurred on August 21, 1989 when Kandu V attacked Corky II at SeaWorld in San Diego causing a 10-foot high geyser of blood to spout from Kandu’s blowhole. Kandu bled to death in view of park guests.
(Two years earlier, in 1987, witnesses reported that Kandu violently collided into Corky, leaving a three-foot-gash along Corky’s stomach. The two orcas were again placed together at SeaWorld despite this previous incident of aggression between them.)
In reading about orcas, I have learned that in the wild their relationships are extraordinarily stable and enduring. They are family-oriented animals, staying close together in pods throughout their lives. There is a particularly strong bond between orca mother and calf.
At SeaWorld, your shows tend to play up the relationship between orca and human trainer, but the real bond—the instinctive bond—is between orca mother and calf.
The Blackfish film highlights an incident where an orca calf was removed from its mother at a very young age. It’s the most compelling part of the movie.
Kalina (“Baby Shamu”) was born to Katina on September 26, 1985 and was taken from her mother in 1990 at age four and a half.
In Blackfish, former SeaWorld trainer Carol Ray recalled being mocked by a co-worker after raising objections to the Katina/Kalina separation. The underlying message was clear: do not regard the animals and their well-being so much that you question company directives.
After the separation of Kalina from her mother, Ms. Ray observed that Katina remained immobile in the corner of the pool emitting loud, heart-wrenching cries throughout the night. Katina’s handlers say that she made sounds that night that they had not heard her make before.
In the Death At SeaWorld book, Dr. Naomi Rose said, “The destruction of the family structure that is so critical to orca mental health and well-being has turned some whales into sociopaths. They’re all socially warped because they didn’t swim with their mothers long enough to learn to be orcas.”
Christmas Eve, 2009. Trainer Alexis Martinez was attacked and killed by an orca owned by SeaWorld at Loro Parque in the Canary Islands.
In Secretary of Labor v. SeaWorld of Florida, LLC, your company tried to distance itself from Loro Parque. The Blackfish film depicted SeaWorld curator, Kelly Clark, testifying under oath that she had no knowledge of an affiliation between SeaWorld and Loro Parque.
There was plenty of affiliation between the parks.
SeaWorld leased five orcas to Loro Parque. A trainer from SeaWorld San Diego was sent to supervise training at Loro Parque.
In Blackfish, Loro Parque employee, Suzanne Allee, recalled that your company sent the orcas to a park that was not ready for them and to a staff that had little or no experience working with orcas. She added that Loro Parque did not have a good reputation within the industry.
The SeaWorld orcas chewed the paint off the walls of their enclosure at Loro Parque and endured stressful endoscopy procedures. Alexis Martinez, was attacked and killed by Keto (the offspring of Kalina, the original “Baby Shamu.”)
Two months later, on February 24, 2010, senior SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was scalped and dismembered by Tilikum during a “Dine With Shamu” performance at SeaWorld in Orlando.
Mr. Atchison, it is clear to me that a callous mishandling and abuse of killer whales runs through the history of your company to the present day.
Whatever challenges orcas face in the ocean, confining them to the relatively shallow pools of a marine mammal park where they are exploited for short-term gain is no real solution.
If all the orcas on the planet were rounded up and put into SeaWorld parks it would probably hasten the demise of the species. Experts agree that many of the orcas in your collection are so damaged by life in captivity that they could not be expected to survive and function normally if they were released to the wild. Captivity makes orcas weaker, not stronger.
While your company attempts to make excuses, assign blame, and disparage and discredit its critics—the public is beginning to lose faith in SeaWorld. And rightly so.
My family and I will not visit SeaWorld or any park that displays orcas.
I would support the passage of a new law prohibiting the housing and display of captive orcas in the United States.
Jim, the Shamu show has got to go.
I’ve read your letter and sincerely hope and pray that you continue to share it with the world. This is brilliant and so important for all to read.
Thank you with all my heart again and again, JPatton.
Cara